[Editorial] Is Lucasfilm Losing Focus With Han Solo Set Troubles?

So when I blogged about how Phil Lord and Christopher Miller parted ways with Lucasfilm on directing the upcoming Han Solo solo movie, I thought it happened in a very amicable manner - almost like how Edgar Wright departed from Ant-Man.

But I forgot that the actual filming for the movie by Lord and Miller was actually just weeks away from completion. They were reportedly in the final stretch and will be wrapping the movie before proceeding to the reshoot portion.

That's when they got fired by Kathleen Kennedy for (allegedly) turning the Han Solo character to resemble Jim Carrey's Ace Ventura. Now to a Star Wars fan like me, to any Star Wars fan for that matter, we do not want the Ace Ventura character come anywhere near Han Solo because Solo is not a caricature. Solo and the Star Wars franchise is not a comedy, it's a sci-fi fantasy space opera.

So if Lord and Miller do not understand this, then I would side with Kennedy and they would have to get the boot.

I am a fan of Lord and Miller. What they have done with 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and ultimately The LEGO Movie were game changers in the industry. That's why they got the job at Lucasfilm. But if they are unable to make that turn, like how the Russo Brothers were so successful transitioning from straight-up comedy to a big budget larger-than-life actioner, then they are definitely not right for the job.

But now the question is, and the more worrying part of it all here, is whether or not Lucasfilm has lost the ability to have foresight. Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios both exist under the umbrella of Walt Disney Pictures. But the difference is that Marvel has made more than 10 successful movies and are very much still on the ball. The initial reaction to Spider-Man: Homecoming, which they are sharing responsibilities with another studio, Sony Pictures, are super positive.

Lucasfilm and Kennedy, on the other hand, are in the process of making their fourth film only. And we all now there have been troubles over at Rogue One, which (allegedly) 60-70% of the movie were done during the reshoot window.

Difference between Rogue One and Han Solo is that director Gareth Edwards was willing to play ball with Lucasfilm. He was willing to accept having Tony Gilroy to supervise his work and his reshoots. However, Lord and Miller (reportedly) were unwilling. Hence, they were fired.

But how did Kennedy and Lucasfilm not realise that Lord and Miller were steering the ship away from the initial vision? How is it that at the studio did not check any of the footage and dailies until so late in the game? If this had happened in the first few weeks or even one month in into shooting, it would not have looked as bad. But the fact that this dragged on until like 70% of the movie has been filmed just does not make sense.

And my biggest worry here is that, with the experience from Rogue One, the studio should have learned from their mistake. But now with Han Solo going down that same dark path, one has to wonder what are the people in Lucasfilm doing if not their jobs?

Now that Ron Howard has stepped in to direct "officially", I'm sure the reshoots are going to be extensive. But he may just be the puppet on the string that is controlled by Kathleen Kennedy and Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote this movie with his son, Jon Kasdan.

I look forward to one day being able to read in a book about what really happened to this movie, or in that same veing, whaat really happened to Josh Trank and his Fantastic Four. Or even Josh Trank and his Star Wars movie!